wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plugin menu icon”
wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →
For “plugin menu icon”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20.
wp.org search ranks on
Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.
We add
A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851)
wp.org #1 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
WP Menu Icons 20K+ · 4.9★ (139)
wp.org #4 5 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (576)
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256)
wp.org #8 ↑1 9 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #9 ↑2 10 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #17 ↑5 7 too low 11 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #20 ↑1 9 too low 12 
Menu Cart for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.6★ (99)
wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too low 13 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #23 ↓4 10 too low 14 
Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓2 4 too high 15 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too low 16 
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41)
wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too high 17 
Orbit Fox: Duplicate Page, Menu Icons, SVG Support, Cookie Notice, Custom Fonts & More 100K+ · 4.8★ (317)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38)
wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 
Iks Menu – WordPress Category Accordion Menu & FAQs 10K+ · 5.0★ (27)
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
WP Bottom Menu 20K+ · 4.5★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 6 too high 21 
WP Menu Cart 8K+ · 4.8★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too low 22 
Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too high 23 
Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25)
wp.org #21 ↑2 2 too high 24 Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles 4K+ · 3.7★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓2 12 too high Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.